Vibrational Imaging of Glucose Uptake in Live Cells and Tissues by Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy

Glucose is a ubiquitous energy source for virtually all living organisms. Its uptake activity closely reflects the cellular metabolic status in various physiological and pathological conditions. Extensive efforts such as positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fluorescence microscopy have been made to image glucose uptake but all with technical limitations. Here, we report a novel vibrational microscopy platform to visualize glucose uptake in living cells and tissues with subcellular resolution and minimal perturbation by performing stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) on a new glucose analogue. Cancer cells with differing metabolic characteristics can be distinguished. Moreover, heterogeneous glucose uptake patterns are observed with clear cell-cell variations in tumor xenograft tissues as well as in neuronal culture and mouse brain tissues. Therefore, by offering the distinct advantage of optical resolution yet without the undesirable influence of bulky fluorophores, SRS imaging of glucose uptake will be a valuable tool to study energy demands of living systems, particularly in tumors and brain.